As used herein, peer to peer networks which are the subject of the present invention comprise multiple nodes, each node typically consisting both of file server and client, which can send and receive data or “communication messages” to or from a node to which such is connected.
In a peer to peer network, each node is connected to other nodes over a communication medium, such as the internet, either directly or through some type of proxy. For example, when a search request is issued, such originating node sends a search request to all of the nodes to which it is connected (see FIG. 1). These nodes search their list of available files and if a match is found they send a response back with the location. However, a peer to peer proxy network typically consists of a node A which is connected to a node B and node B is connected to a node C (see FIG. 2). Node A is not directly connected to node C such that if node A issues a search request it will be forwarded to node B to search its available files, and if a match is found it will send a response back to node A. Node B will then forward node A's request to node C and node C will search its available files and if a match is found it will send a response back to node B. Node B will then forward this response to node A. FIG. 3 depicts a non-proxy loop network wherein each node is directly connected to another.
Some peer to peer networks utilize a leaf node/main node proxy topology (see FIG. 4) where some nodes are classified as main nodes and the remaining nodes are classified as leaf nodes. Leaf nodes can only connect to main nodes. Only main nodes can connect to other main nodes. When a leaf node issues a search request, it sends the request to the main node with which it is connected. The main node then forwards the request to any other leaf nodes that are connected to it and also to any main nodes to which it is connected. These main nodes forward the request to any leaf node that are connected to them.
In peer to peer networks, communication messages are sent to the nodes to which they are connected and, in turn, each of those nodes send communication messages to other nodes to which they are connected.
Multiple peer to peer networks exist, usually each having a preferred set of attributes. Users wishing to utilize one peer to peer network for its specific attributes must install specific software to access a specific network. Often users wish to access multiple networks and therefore have multiple software applications installed on their computer. When the user wishes to search a specific network, the user must start the specific software application and initiate the search. If the result is not satisfactory, the user must launch a second application and search a second peer to peer network. Thus, it would be advantageous if users could search one network using the software application of their choice and have their communication messages be forwarded to a second network automatically.
Referring to FIG. 9, a peer to peer network is depicted, but which is normally quite large. Often these networks comprise hundreds of thousands of nodes. To reduce the bandwidth required to operate such networks, nodes have a community imposed transmission distance or “Radius” limitation. Communication messages contain communication message radius parameters such as “hops” and time to live. Hops is a value that normally starts at 0 and increments each time the communication is forwarded. Time to live is a value that normally starts at 5 and is decremented each time the communication is forwarded. When hops reaches a preset limit, often 5, or time to live reaches 0, the communication is dropped from the network. Often nodes have a “Max time to live” setting. This value is typically set to 5. If a node receives a communication message time to live, which is higher than its configured max time to live, the packet is either dropped or the communication message time to live is dropped to the configured value in the max time to live. This effectively enforces a community time to live value and limits the number of nodes that would perceive communication message from a transmitting node. It would be advantageous if the communication message could travel some distance and then have its communication message radius parameters changed to an optimal or near optimal value to increase the distance the communication message could travel. For instance, a communication could travel 4 hops and then have its settings changed back to 0.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for improving peer to peer network communications. It is yet another object of the present invention to connect two or more peer to peer networks together and accept communication messages from one and provide it to another. It is yet another object of the present invention to accept communication messages from a peer to peer network and change the communication message radius parameters to an optimal or near optimal value and retransmit the communication message so that the radius or distance of the communication is extended.